Water lines in residential, commercial, and industrial properties are ubiquitous, but, in the event of a leak or other damage to them, they can cause serious problems. Water line leakages are a major contributor to water damage to properties and can generate mold and mildew, leading to health concerns. Even if a leak does not cause visible water damage or mold growth, it can greatly increase water consumption and cause water waste. Because of drought in many areas, such as Southern California and Hawaii, water rates have been increased considerably in many jurisdictions and severe penalties can be levied on property owners who waste water as the result of an undetected leak.
The issue of potential water line leakage is particularly important for properties that are not continually occupied, such as second homes, vacation homes, or vacant commercial properties. If not noticed, a water line leakage in such a property can go undetected for weeks or months, causing severe damage. In a multi-unit building such as an apartment building, a condominium, or an office building divided into suites, such a water leak can also cause damage in adjoining units.
Various devices that provide some sort of monitoring or control over flow in water lines have been described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,109,317 to Johnson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,884 to Cohen; U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,749 to Mauerhofer; U.S. Pat. No. 6,317,051 to Cohen; U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,479 to Coffey et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,722 to Goodenough; U.S. Pat. No. 7,299,814 to Fenton; U.S. Pat. No. 7,380,568 to Tiwet; U.S. Pat. No. 7,742,883 to Dayton et al.; United States Published Patent Application No. 2003/0210151 by Kimberlain et al.; United States Published Patent Application No. 2006/0137090 by Jeffries et al.; United States Published Patent Application No. 2009/0066524 by Yukawa et al.; and United States Published Patent Application No. 2010/0204839 by Behm et al. However, the devices in these patents or patent applications do not offer the required degree of flexibility, control, and remote communication capability to meet the needs described above.
Therefore, there is a need to develop an inexpensive and easily installed flow sentinel that can monitor water flow in water lines. Preferably, such a flow sentinel can determine if an excessive flow condition is present, shut off the flow if necessary, and remotely notify the property owner, tenant, or manager, as well as the water supply agency. Preferably such a flow sentinel can also display the current flow rate and the condition of the water line and provide an audible or visible indication of an alarm condition.